Andrew Solomon has a knack for getting into the middle of things. In previous books, he helped us understand depression, appreciate the complexity of parent-child relations, and know more about the particular relationship between the Sandy Hook shooter and his father.

In "Far And Away," Solomon takes us to centers of change around the world. He was present for upheavals in Russia, South Africa, and Brazil, and the list goes on.

McKay, a newspaper and TV reporter for decades, focuses on the period from 1964 to 1986, a time when Tom McCall and Bob Straub moved up the ranks to the governor's office, facing each other in several elections.

Accomplishments of the time include beach protections, bottle deposits, and land-use regulations, among many others.

After more than eight hours yesterday, the Medford School District and the union representing its teachers ended a state-mediated negotiating session with no new agreements and no scheduled date as to when the sides would meet again.

The Mail Tribune reports that while the sides did not meet face-to-face during the day, they did exchange new proposals. That’s according to Alex Pulaski of the Oregon School Boards Association.

Oregon State mediators will meet separately with bargaining teams from the Medford School District and its teachers union this afternoon in the hopes of settling contract disputes before a Feb. 6 strike.

The Medford Education Association notified the district yesterday of its intent to strike in 10 days as required by law. The union's bargaining team walked away from negotiations Friday, saying the district was unwilling to budge on its latest contract offer.

After nearly a year of contract negotiations, Medford teachers will vote tonight (January 23) on whether to strike.

The Mail Tribune reports that bargaining teams from the Medford School District and the Medford Education Association have met three times this month, totaling about 30 hours, to negotiate the remaining articles of a new contract.

The district implemented the contract in late December without support of the teachers' union.

Persuaded by a man's argument that his campsite was his home, the Oregon Court of Appeals has reversed his conviction for illegally carrying a concealed weapon.

The Oregonian reports that the appeals court held that 66-year-old David Wolf was entitled to tell jurors at his trial that Oregon law makes an exception to carrying a concealed weapon without a permit if a person is in his or her place of residence.

The East Oregonian reports the group is seeking a jury trial on accusations that tour operators were negligent. The lawsuit also accuses Oregon and the state Transportation Department for failing to make an icy stretch of the interstate safe, and failing to erect barriers to keep the bus from going over a cliff.

With its troubled health insurance exchange portal still not working, Cover Oregon officials say they have suspended its optimistic, feel-good advertising campaign after spending more than $8 million on it this year.

Cover Oregon official Michael Cox said Thursday that television, radio, and newspaper ads should no longer be running, while the "Long Live Oregonians" billboards will come down as payment expires.

The exchange has had to rely exclusively on paper applications and had to hire more than 400 workers to process them.

Oregon was the top moving destination for 2013, with 63 percent of interstate moves inbound. Oregon had been runner-up for four straight years.

In the new study by United Van Lines, the nation's largest household moving company, Oregon was followed by the Carolinas. South Carolina had the second-highest percentage of inbound moves, then North Carolina. South Dakota was fourth and the District of Columbia fifth.

At the other end, New Jersey repeated as the state with the highest percentage of outbound moves, followed by Illinois, New York, West Virginia, and Connecticut.

The campaign to privatize the liquor business in Oregon is getting started.

The Oregonian newspaper reports Oregonians for Competition, a political action committee tied to the Northwest Grocery Association, has already spent $30,000 on consultants.

It reported campaign expenditures last week of $15,000 each to Winner & Mandabach Campaigns and to the Silver Bullet company. Silver Bullet collects signatures for ballot initiatives. Winner & Mandabach worked on the campaign to defeat proposed labels for genetically modified food.